Receptacle



C. CAMPBELL Nov. 8, 1932.

REGEPTACLE iled Feb. 2

Patented Nov. 8, 1932 UNITED STATES COLIN CAMPBELL, F AVON, NEW JERSEY RECEPTAGLE Application filed February 26, 1929. Serial No. 342,898.

My invention relates to improvements in receptacle for the delivery and storage of commodities of various kinds upon the premises of buyers, and particularly to a receptacle for use in connection with a store or dwelling to enable tradesmen to deposit and leave articles of all kinds in a secure place, without risk that the goods will be removed or disturbed before the true owner can take them actually into his possession.

An object of the invention is to provide a receptacle having a closure to give admission thereto, and parts mounted for so engaging the closure and holding it fast whenever an article of the type contemplated is deposited as to be most effective and certain in action and proof against wear and all liability of ordinary derangement.

A further object of the invention is to provide a receptacle or cabinet having a closure for admission purposes supported to be normally open to a slight extent, so that access to the interior of the receptacle, when the latter is empty, is readily permitted.

Another object of the invention is to provide a receptacle of the kind mentioned such that it will be of simple construction, strong and durable, easy to manipulate and capable of manufacture at low cost.

The nature and advantages of my invention are fully set forth in the following description, taken with the accompanying drawing in which an embodiment of the invention is illustrated. The description, however, is explanatory only and I reserve the right to make changes in the shape, size and arrangement of the various members of the device, without departing from the principl of the invention or exceeding the scope or meanings of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

On the drawing, Figure 1 is a vertical section through a receptacle according to my invention, mounted in operative position, with the parts in readiness for permitting an ar ticle to bedeposited herein.

Figure 2 is a similar feature showing the article securely contained within the receptacle.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken through the middle of Figure 2 for example, I

but with the article omitted, and

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view of what appears at the lower part of Figure 2, to show more fully the manner in which the receptacle is held closed.

In the particular description of what the drawing presents, the numeral 1 is used to indicate the receptacle as a whole, and 2 a support for the receptacle; this support be ing a door, wall or other part of the building, with an opening of such size and shape that the receptacle can be inserted into this opening, and made fast. For example, if the support 2 is part of a door leading to the in- 7 side of a dwelling, the receptacle 1 will be so mounted on the door as to project partly into the dwelling and partly to the outside thereof. The part of the receptacle which is exposed on the outside of the dwelling willcarry a closure 3 for giving admission to the interior of the receptacle; and the part that projects to the inside of the dwelling will carry a door or closure 8 to enable the occupant of the premises to open the receptacle and remove whatever he finds therein. The closure 3 is mounted in an aperture 5 in the wall of the receptacle 1, and the door t is secured in a similar opening 6. The closure 3 is mounted in such fashion that when the receptacle 1 is emptied this closure will be partly open; but whenever an article is deposited in the receptacle, the closure 3 will be made fast; being held in this position by a movable shelf 7 which is depressed by the weight of the article, and caused to engage with the closure 3 to keep the closure tightly shut until the article is removed from the shelf 7 through the inside door 4.

The shelf 7 can swing up and down about the edge thereof adjacent the lower part of the door 4; but it has no edgewise or other movement. One or more springs 8 tend to raise the free edge of this shelf; and at its free edge the shelf carries a stop or strikeplate 9 in a position to engage with a bolt or catch 10 affixed to the adjacent end of the closure 3. As shown in the drawning the closure 3 is hinged at the top and carries the catch 10 at the lower edge thereof in proximity to the shelf 7. A block 11 is disposed upon the bottom of the receptacle and to this block are secured the springs 8 at one end; the other ends pressing upward on the lower face of the shelf 7.

The discharge door 4 is shown as hinged at 12 along its lower edge, and adjacent the opposite or upper edge it carries a lock 13 containing a bolt to'engage a strike plate or the like 14 inside the receptacle and keep the door 4 shut. Normally thisdoor will beclosed and held fast by the lock, as indicated in Figure 1, with the closure 3 partly open. Affixed to the inside of receptacle 1 and running along the lower edge of the opening 6 is an angle bar 15, held fast by screws or the like 16; and the shelf 7 is attached to this angle bar by studs 17 The angle bar has apertures 18 larger than the shanks of these studs; but the heads of the studs will be larger than the apertures so that the adjacent edge of the shelf 7 is pivotally supported by the angle bar 15. The strike plate 9 is in the form of a similar angle bar 19 attached by screws or the like to the opposite edge of shelf 7; the vertical portion of this angle bar projecting down to a certain extent that it can interlock with catch 10. This catch is. extended with reference to the inner face of the closure 3 to project inside of the re-- ceptacle; and it comprises a pair of jaws 20 between which the lower edge of the closure is received. The extended part of the catch is indicated at 21 and has a notch or recess 22 in position to receive the stop 9. Screws or the like 23 hold the catch upon the door 3.

Within the receptacle 1 and extending along the lower edge of opening '5 for the closure 1 is a rest in the form of an angle bar 24 made fast to the receptacle by screws or the like 25. The vertical web of thea-ngle bar 19 forming the strike plate 9 looks with the notch 22; and this strike plate has a notch 26 adjacent the notch 22, so that when the.

closure 3 is shut and the shelf 7 depressed the'catch 10 has sufiicient clearance at the recess 22 therein to lie beneath the strike ,3 does not hang vertically from its hinges at the top; but naturally assumes a position wherein it makes a small angle to the vertical with the lower edge out beyond the hottom of the aperture 5. Suppose the tradesman delivers,'for example, a bottle of milk shown in Figure 2 at 27. He first lifts the closure 3 and sets the bottle on the shelf 7.

the strike plate 9 and bolt 10 engage and hold the closure 3 fast. Then the article delivered is securely enclosed in the receptacle 1, and

' the occupant of the premises can get it at any time by using his key to turn the lock 13 to open the door 4, as indicated by the broken lines in Figure 2. The shut position of the closure 3 is fully shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4.

With a receptacle of this design the closure 3 is thus always maintained in partially open position when the receptacle is empty; and when an article is deposited'insideof the receptacle, this article is held fast by the strike plate'9 attached to the shelf 7. The receptacle or box is very strong and durable and the manner of engagement of the part 9 with the catch 10 is such that when the closure 3 is shut it is held, and no amount of wear short of actual breaking of the parts will suffice to disengage the closure 3 so thatit can be moved outward and the box opened. The article delivered is thus safely kept until the owner opens the box by using his key upon the lock 13, and removes the article through the rear door 4 thereof. As soon as the article is taken out the shelf 7 is urged by the springs 8 to swing up so as to release the catch 10. The closure is now swung slightly outagain and the receptacle is in readiness for further use. Though the closure hangs normally open, slightly, it sheds rain, hail or snow and does not expose the inside of the box until it is lifted.

A suitable means such as angle irons or the like, may be employed to hold the box 1 fast within the support 2, as indicated in Figures 1 and 2 at 28. 7

My receptacle is well adapted for the use in homes or retail stores to enable the milk man and baker to make deliveries along their routes at times when the occupants are asleep or absent, and while I have designated specifically bread and bottles of milk, the box may obviously be employed to receive and retain any kind of commodities which may have to be delivered under similar conditions.

What I claim is as follows:

1. An automatically locked receptacle having a wall, a door for giving admission thereto in said wall and meansfor removing the contents thereof the edges of said door being entirely surrounded by said receptacle, an angle bar attached to the inside of the receptacle adjacent to and substantially flush with the bottomof the door opening, a platform in said receptacle movably secured at one end to enable the platform to move in one direction only under application of a weighted object, said platform being restrained against 7 edgewise movement, spring means beneath said platform to normally hold it upward, an angle bar on the free endof the platform sub stantially coextensive with said first angle bar and supporting said platform therefrom in a horizontal position, and a latch on said admission door cooperating with said shelf angle bar to hold said admission door closed when an object exceeding the tension of said spring means is placed on said platform, said door in the closed position being entirely flush and concealed within the wall of the receptacle. 2. A normally open receptacle having means to remove the contents, a door to give admission to the receptacle, said door hanging vertically in the closed position and entirely surrounded on all edges by said receptacle, and a shelf toreceive the contents, said shelf being hingedly mounted in said receptacle, spring means beneath the shelf tending normally to swing the shelf upward about its hinged end as an axis, means to prevent endwise movement of the shelf, an angle bar attached to the inside of the receptacle adj acent the door opening, a strike plate extending across the free end of the shelf and supporting said shelf from said angle bar when said shelf is loaded, means to hold the door normally open when the shelf is unloaded and to hold said door automatically locked and recessed in said receptacle when said shelf is loaded including a recess in said strike plate, and a catch on said door, said catch being countcrweighted to hold the door ajar, said catch extending through said recess to 4( engage the strike plate and secure the admission door, the weight of an article deposited in the receptacle serving to depress the shelf to make it retain the admission door in closed position. In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature to this specification.

COLIN CAMPBELL. 

